What do I mean by toxic relationship? There are a lot of different types. Someone can be…

• Physically abusive
• Emotionally abusive
• Controlling

I’m sure there are others, but these are the main ones I’ve come across. Your child, especially a special needs child, is the best reason in the world to put an immediate end to these types of relationships. Typically these are discussed in the context of spousal abuse, but it also applies to friends and family members as well. Here are some examples of toxic behavior…

• A family member hits your child out of anger for misbehaving with no communication as to what they did wrong or how to improve.
• A friend, angry that you no longer see them, tells you how lazy you are for not getting together more often. They are persistent and continue to put you down, even going so far as to accuse you of making up your child’s health problems to avoid them.
• A family member insists you make medical decisions for your child in the way they would like them made. They constantly seek information and even go so far as to call doctor’s offices to try and get information.  They may even lie to the office staff about their level of involvement in your child’s care in order to skirt HIPAA regulations.

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